The object of the invention relates to a method and a device for extracting milk from animals, in particular from cows. However, the invention may also be employed for extracting milk from other dairy animals such as goats, sheep, buffaloes, llamas, camels, dromedaries, yaks, etc.
Developments in the dairy cattle industry toward larger units with more animals and increased milk yields require high management skills from milk producers. Therefore it has been known to increase work productivity with large numbers of dairy cattle by employing milking installations comprising a plurality of milking places. In respect of the configuration of milking installations, a variety of embodiments exist.
WO 95/07019 for example discloses a rotary milking parlor. This is an installation with milking places diagonally offset from one another. This configuration provides the milker with a good view and direct access to the udder. There are also known rotary milking parlors where the animals stand side by side. Such a side by side rotary milking parlor is very much space-saving.
Other than rotary milking parlors, group milking parlors are known with the milking places arranged stationary such as herringbone parlors, drive-through and side by side block parlors, and tandem parlors. Furthermore there exist tie-in stall barns where the individual animals stand in place and the milker moves the milking device from animal to animal.
In the known milking installations comprising a plurality of milking places, each milking place is equipped with a milk yield measuring device. Said milk yield measuring device measures and processes the individual animal data. The measurement results serve to monitor and control the milking session for each individual animal. The data generated such as the milk yield, milk flow and conductivity, are stored in a memory. This equipment used may for instance be the METATRON 21 of the company WestfaliaSurge GmbH.
The amount of data generated by the milk yield measuring device are processed and evaluated in the scope of a herd management and control system. Said evaluation supplies to the manager of the dairy farm economic characteristics as well as data on the state of health of the animals. The manager furthermore receives significant data on previous feeding and also data for a modification of animal feeding if necessary, since the influence of feeding will be obvious within a few days. In the case of undesirable changes the manager can thus react fast, matching the feed type and quantity accordingly. Then again, the accumulated lactation milk yield is a useful measure for the performance of an animal. It is therefore another significant advantage of milk yield measuring that the manager can select the best animals such as for breeding purposes.
Correspondingly the herd system serves to improve performance and health of a herd. The performance and the health of a herd are also tied in with the feed for the individual animals or groups of animals within the herd. The control system or a system for herd management provides corresponding decision tools.